The Pale Viking's Tale
by Ranger Station Charlie
Summary: Everyone has a story to tell, in a world full of mystical creatures and adventurers, a bard meets a viking with a past that changed the course of his people. one shot


**Disclaimer: I do own** **Dungeons and Dragons** **that credit goes to** **Gary Gygax and later editions and alterations go to their respective creators.**

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"The old port city of Desinosa, a place for old and younger sailors alike to rest and barter for goods aplenty. A place where pirates from the south,vikings from the north, and merchant bands from the east can meet without the terror of sinking into the depths of the sea. Now many of you may not know of the tale of how such a place could exist, but worry not I the great bard Calabeen lover extraordinaire shall tell you the tale of how such events came to be", I rose my hand to the air and gave my most dashing smile.

"The birth of Desinosa began over one hundred seasons ago and all thanks to the man who this town is named after Desmond Creek. Now Desmond lived in a time where even thinking about traversing these waters would mean certain death. Desmond was neither a great fighter or a caster of the arcane, but the son of a whaler."

"Desmond was a renowned sailor responsible for feeding entire towns thanks to his prowess of being able to remain undetectable on these bloody seas you now call home. But on one stormy day of travel Desmond returned home to find it destroyed. Who destroyed it no one knows for certain for all that reminded was ash. This would not be the first place of ruin for Desmond to find. Yet it struck a string in his heart that Desmond had long since tempered. He rallied the surrounding towns to join him on his voyage to settle a pact among these seas. He traveled to the clans of Voslung, the isles of cres home of Captain Garp Strong-arm, and the city of Drew to negotiate a pact that the waters surrounding us now where to be off limits to any vessel,or else there would be war, but if the three titans of the seas agreed to allow safe passage for all then the towns that would lead to creation of Desinosa would also lay down their arms."

"This wouldn't come to fruition until three years of bloodshed. While the natives here may not have numbers they had home advantage and much greater understanding of the water. There was no time of day or night that the precursors here did not wage war. Finally it came to agreement that these waters were to remain untouched by blood of fellow sailors."

"That ends the tale of the creation Desinosa. "

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"You should go back to whatever historian told you that peace of horseshit and get the gold he ripped of you because anyone here in this pub can tell you Desmond nearly destroyed any hope of peace created here" spoke a large inked man with a mane of sun kissed hair. "Then tell me now generous master how this town came to be" I asked the man no mer, because no red blooded man has eyes of such pure silver.

"Desmond never asked for peace he hoped to keep these waters for the Continentals here for themselves. It was because of his wife Delora killing her own husband and pleading for peace did the bloodshed end" he spoke with conviction daring anyone to challenge his tongue. He then set a set of copper on his table and walked out after nodding to the bar keep.

Shaken by the mer's words I sang my songs and searched for him after. I recognized those eyes, those eyes were the same as mine, but he unlike me was no half breed bastard. To no avail did I find him deciding to book a room at the Ashen inn did luck strike me, I found my target chatting with the owner.

"My my June you've grown into such a beautiful flower that it's no wonder your mother kept me away" his eyes full of humor and lips quirk in amusement. "Because she knew that keeping old horn dogs like you away from a woman of my stature would only keep my sanity in tack" she spoke with strength but eyes betraying her tone. " Now hush off I got a paying customer here instead of an old free loading viking". "No need for I actually was looking for this gentlemen here" I spoke. "Ha gentlemen you should see this man trying to get off his ass after drinking half a day straight on Dwarven ale, now if you want to speak you can head over to a table while I get my brother to prepare some food" she smiles.

Finally getting up close and personal with the mer I had time to get a better look of him. Nearly three gnomes tall, pale skin covered in Nordic runes, short beard tied in knots with hair just reaching his shoulders, and a faded scar across his left ears just poking out of his hair barely visible unless stared at closely. Wearing an attire consistent of simple of deer hide trousers bare chest except strong steel chain mail that held a leather strap keeping a sheathed knife in place, and a small pouch belt attached to a plain short sword at his side. What caught my eye the most was his necklace: steel stringed holding three rather large shark teeth each carved in with a language I had never seen before.

The Mer walked over to a table and waved me after. "So what does a great bard want from me". Well I spoke, " it's not often you find a snow elf out of the Mountains and even more to see one branding cold steel against his breast". " No harm I suppose snow elf do not venture far, but I ain't one of those whoresons I'm a viking and I'll let it pass for now, but call me one again and I"ll use you as chum for hunters underneath understand bard" he spoke with a neutral tone. " How did one such as yourself join in a clan if I may dare to ask" I spoke hastily afraid of a man who towers over two heads taller than me. "Tell you what after we eat and you give me some gold I'll tell you my tale" he spoke with a cheeky smile.

Deal after all I think I might of found an interesting tale, and my duty as a bard commends me.

"I wasn't born typically like the other fucking ice picking tribals. My mother was part of a clan with a little over a dozen members. She was a mage with a thirst like no other for the addiction we name adventure. After years of banter she got permission from father druid to set off to learn of the taint they deem anyone else but themselves and valley dwellers. My blood father a ranger was sent off with her to protect her from harm and to return her after a decade of timed had pass. They would travel across the land from one city to the next until he would have his way with her and conceived me. "Wait I spoke you would mean to tell me he forced himself on her" I queried? "Five years without carnal pleasure and surrounded by what he considered taint what do you expect? Continuing on my father while I was still in my mother's womb, he would get himself killed by a drow after they disputed about the tale of the passage between the mountain centuries ago I don't have time to tell you that old history since as a bard you may already know."

"My mother would then decide never to return to the mountains and sired me into the town of mages she would call home. Apprentice under the head tower mage as a cryomancer. I think it was because of a dairy dessert my mother introduced to the town he proclaimed her as his apprentice to gain her secrete. Also no I will not tell you her secrete either the only person who has ever was June's mother. After I reached a suitable age she forsaked centuries old tradition and taught me the power of arcane. Male snow elves are not allowed to become a mages they are restricted to either becoming a ranger or follow under a druid priest. I would learn under my mother basic spells and even harness the power of frost hidden in my blood."

"The call for adventure would lead both my mother and I across the land to the sea that we are at now. That was over a century ago just a little after peace talkings. A small Viking clan under the chief Halgus a clan sworn to Voslung was recruiting able-bodied men or women to join him and his crew to hunt down a band of drow pirates who refused to back down and we're attacking clan settlements."

"My mother and I we're not an exception for the hatred toward drow. It's an inborn trait that resides in our blood brought on by the patron deity of snow mer. Still compared to those mountain hicks I have much more control."

"We would travel with that crew even after hunting down those drow for more than a decade. Don't know why we did maybe it was cuz Halgus had this charisma around him. Under his crew I learn to steer under any kind of weather condition. I learned how to navigate by stars, how to listen to the wind of the sea, and most importantly the value of steel. I learned to become a fighter and not have to rely only on the arcane."

"Turned out Halgus was quiet smitten over my mother and even asked me for permission to court her. THAT was a strange day seeing a Viking ask for permission like that. He told me that he would treat me as if I was his own son. Funny enough I already saw Halgus as a father figure most of the younger crew did. We returned to the homeland of the clans and held a ceremony for Halgus and my mother. I would gain a brother not too long after that, old man works fast." He closed his eyes to reminisce in the warmth the memories had brought.

"Wait just a second your mother was able to marry into a clan and marry a chieftain?" I spoke surprised at such words. " Here's something that might surprise you to be a viking it's not because of blood it's because of spirit some clans are against it but most will accept it. Why should only humans be Vikings when are God's who guide our ways aren't. They decide what form they take and the form of a human at most times are the best way to communicate physically".

"My early times with the clan were some of the best times of my life. While they accepted me I still needed to prove myself. Which meant I needed to prove my worth as the son of a chief. I hunted, I fought against rival clans, grappled with my new found brothers and sisters, and even had earned the right from the rune master of the head clan to take tutelage under her promoting my clan further by being the first rune crafter". He rubbed the scar above his eye as he spoke of time with his clan.

"Years after my brother would become chief and my mother would ask of me to travel back with her to the mountains. I should of turned her down persuaded her not too" clouds appeared in his eyes, " but she wanted to see my grandmother one last time".

" We returned back those mountains, and were attacked. Upon seeing my mother and I the head druid was able to determine and deem us to be too far tainted by the outside and claimed the only way to atone was to die". The clouds in his eyes thicken and transformed into a sheet of ice.

" Little did they know I prepared for this and had created dozens of special made rune canisters that when shattered ignite like the sun. I thought we would escape but they shot my mother through the heart and…. and KILLED HER, THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS KILLED HER BECAUSE SHE DECIDED TO STAY WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD." He gripped onto the table and the water in my glass started to freeze as ice began to form on his mail.

"Hellicai calm down right now before you do something you regret" June spoke as the now proclaimed Hellicai looked at her with fury that could freeze oceans and shatter steel, melted after seeing her worried face. "June I'm sorry for disturbing your customers I need to go calm my head" Hellicai spoke ashamed of his lack of control.

"Wait what happened next, how did you survive? !" I yelled out to him.

His back turned to me as he faced the door slowly turning toward me he looked straight into my very being. "This necklace of bone I wear isn't for show it allows those who bear it to survive even after reaching their limit; and for what happened after what do you think happens after striking the brother of a chieftain and killing a beloved figure among the clans?

I'll tell you

 **The ones who rule the mountains now are not elves but PALE VIKINGS."**

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 **A/N: Feel like I should give some background information for this. This was my character's backstory from a AD &D campaign. AD&D= advanced dungeon and dragons is a pretty old role playing tabletop game. My friends and I decided to be idiots and play a by the book campaign and see how it goes.**

 **My character is still alive and so were my friend's characters until the second session were everyone got killed from a bandit encounter were 180 bandits were attacking this caravan. My group decided to stay alive from the bandits they needed to help out the caravan. They all died, I only survived because I wasn't there that day. That's AD &D for you, it's so easy to die random encounters that it is stupidly frustrating but funny.**


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